That time of the year where life starts to get crazy busy is here again. It’s back to school time, and for me that means meal prep! One of my favorite ways to meal prep is to grill some extra veggies to use in other meals, like this grilled portabella and lentil spaghetti recipe.
Do you practice meal prep? I highly recommend it as it is a time saver in the long run. I like to meal prep all sorts of things, like grilling vegetables for this recipe, or cooking a big batch of grains or making work lunches for the week.
If you read here often, you probably recognize that I love to combine mushrooms and lentils. They both have an earthy flavor so they pair well with other brighter foods like the tomatoes in the marinara sauce.
Spaghetti is comfort food for me; we ate it all the time as kids and I still just cannot get enough. Enjoy some end-of-summer time around the grill while you still can, and meal prep some veggies while you are at it!
Tips and Tricks for the Grilled Portabella and Lentil Spaghetti recipe:
- Optional Simmer: You can just toss the sauce ingredeints together and heat it through, but the flavors are better if you have time to let it simmer for a little while.
- Grilled vegetables: I grilled both the mushroom and onion, but the onion doesn’t soften all the way when grilled. If you don’t want the onion to retain some crunch, saute it in olive oil before adding to the sauce (this can be done with or without grilling the onion, your choice).
- Add some fresh herbs: Try fresh basil, thyme, oregano or rosemary in the sauce or as a fresh garnish to brighten the flavors further.
- 8 oz package of large portabella caps, rinsed
- 1 large onion, sliced
- ½ cup brown lentils, rinsed
- 1 bay leaf
- 8 oz dry spaghetti (gluten free if necessary)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 24 oz jar marinara sauce
- 2 TBS balsamic vinegar
- ½ tsp each: salt and black pepper (or to taste)
- Grill the mushroom and onion over charcoal until the mushroom has released its moisture and the onion is charred and soft. The mushroom should take twice the amount of time as the onion will need on a hot grill. Chop the onion and mushroom into pieces.
- Meanwhile, combine the lentils and bay leaf and cover with water in a small pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 12 minutes.
- Cook spaghetti noodles according to package directions. Drain.
- Mix together cooked lentils, grilled mushroom and onion, garlic, marinara sauce, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil to heat through or if you have time, let it simmer for 10-15 minutes to let the flavors meld.
- Serve over cooked spaghetti.
